1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the operation of a compressor system for supplying a respirator with pressurized breathing gas, and more specifically to the operation of a respirator compressor under low voltage conditions such as brownout.
2. Description of Related Art
Human respiration and ventilation systems of the type that are used for critical care in hospitals have become extraordinarily sophisticated as requirements for control of respiration have become better known. In particular, the modern respirator, which includes a computer control system for ventilating a patient during critical care periods, provides very sophisticated and controllable means to ventilate patients of various sizes and physiologies over a wide range of strategies related to the condition of the patient and the particular problems to be overcome. As such sophisticated respiration systems have become available, they have been more and more important in the ultimate recovery of a patient from traumatic events and surgery, and the interruption of their use under those circumstances is life threatening. The wide availability of such respirators has meant that they are now used throughout the world for critical care, exposing them to a wide variety of conditions in which unpredictable interruptions of electrical power are possible. For example, it has been known that rolling brown-outs can exist within metropolitan areas when a variety of conditions, including an unacceptable level of pollutants in the air or lack of full availability of fuel, diminish the ability to supply electrical power. Under such conditions, the auxiliary power of the hospital may not become active to restore full voltage. Accordingly, there remains a requirement for a viable and robust system to prevent the failure of a compressor to operate on demand during conditions of low voltage to the respirator. The present invention is a solution to this problem.